Scottish Premiership side Celtic has "seemingly confirmed that safe standing will be available to supporters from the start of next season." The news comes as the club "announced a price-freeze on season tickets" for the '16-17 campaign. Amid the details on "how supporters can renew their season tickets" on the Celtic website, there appeared a graphic of Celtic Park "with a yellow section visible that represented, according to the graphic’s key, the new safe standing area." Celtic was granted permission last year "and will be the first top flight Scottish club to introduce the section" (SCOTSMAN, 5/4).
BERLUSCONI TO OPEN TALKS: Former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi is to open talks with a consortium of Asian companies to sell about 70% of AC Milan football club, Italy's Il Messaggero newspaper reported. Citing banking sources, the newspaper said that Berlusconi "would soon agree to start one month of exclusive talks with the consortium through the consulting firm Galatioto Sports Partners." Fininvest, the Berlusconi family holding company that owns the club, "had no comment on the Messaggero report" (REUTERS, 5/4).
SAUBER STRUGGLING: Battling to keep up with running a Formula 1 team, Sauber Manager Beat Zehnder has "admitted that they have been in better situations in the past." Team Principal Monisha Kaltenborn "has been open about Sauber’s problems and revealed that she has been missing races recently because she was trying to secure the long-term future of the team" as F1 is set for "massive changes" in '17. Zehnder: "We've been in a more comfortable situation. We have financial difficulties, it's not a secret, but the good thing is we are still around" (PLANET F1, 5/4).
FRANCHISE BRIEFS ...
Just "over 24 hours after paying out record sums on Leicester's odds defying triumph," Sky Bet is reporting a liability close to £10M ($14.5M) on "newly-promoted Burnley winning the Premier League next season." Burnley secured promotion from the Championship on Monday and was installed at 5,000/1 "to go on and win the Premier League, odds which were immediately lapped up by punters dreaming of a life-changing payout." The "hefty liabilities" have forced Sky Bet to cut the Clarets from 5,000/1 to 1,000/1, with one backer waging £60 ($87) at 2,500/1 to line up a potential pay out of £150,000 ($217,500) (SKY SPORTS, 5/4).
Angry EPL side Aston Villa fans will stage a "mystery" protest against club Owner Randy Lerner "before their final home game of the season on Saturday." Villa, relegated from the Premier League with "only three wins to their name all season, take on a Newcastle side still threatened by relegation at Villa Park." The Aston Villa Protest Group said that it is "planning what it calls an #InTheAirOn74 protest during the game." It has not "revealed details of exactly what the 74th-minute protest will involve," but promised "a mass release of energy, the details of which will become clear over the coming week" (ESPN, 5/3).